1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information providing system that accesses information (content) corresponding to codes by using images that are printed on print media and in which the codes are embedded, and particularly to an information providing system that realizes access to different content by using one and the same printed image.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, various codes such as those listed below are used as codes printed on print media, or codes embedded in images printed on print media.
Two-dimensional codes (such as QR codes) printed on print media can include not only IDs, but also information (such as URLs) used for acquiring content because they can carry a much greater amount of data than one-dimensional codes or electronic watermarks (QR codes can carry approximately 4300 alphanumeric characters). Thus, by reading the QR code and acquiring the URL, the content can be accessed directly by using the URL. However, the coded images that are printed on the media are not readable by human beings, and therefore the areas in which the coded images will be found need to be maintained on the media.
Electronic watermarks do not require the existence of areas that are not readable as the two-dimensional codes described above, such as QR codes. However, the electronic watermark cannot carry as much information as the two-dimensional code (it can only carry up to a ten-digit number) because electronic watermarks are embedded in images on the print media. Accordingly, usually only IDs are embedded in the electronic watermarks. For example, the IDs are extracted from the electronic watermarks, the IDs are transmitted to a conversion server, the information for acquiring the content corresponding to the IDs such as URLs is received from the conversion server, and access to the content is made by using the received information.
Patent Document 1 discloses the information providing system using the two-dimensional codes in which people that have received business cards made of paper can acquire electronic personal information on the owner of the business card via the network by reading the codes printed on the business card with a code reader.
Patent Document 2 discloses the information providing system using electronic watermarks in which IDs are embedded in advertisement images by using electronic watermarks, the advertisement images including the IDs are transmitted to servers managing advertisement information from terminals, and the servers receive the transmitted advertisement images and transmit to the terminals advertisement information corresponding to the advertisement images.
Patent Document 1
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2004-38442 “Data operating apparatus and its method”
Patent Document 2
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-150437 “Advertisement information registration method, advertisement information providing method, access information providing method, registration terminal, access information acquiring terminal/server, advertisement information referring terminal, and advertisement information providing system”
However, in the technique in which codes are embedded in printed images on print media as in the Patent Document 2, there is a problem in which it is impossible to change information corresponding to the codes that are fixed values. Specifically, once information corresponding to a printed image is changed for any reason, users that use the printed image cannot access different information (content) e.g., the users cannot access changed information (content) via the printed image.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an information providing system that can access different content through an image that is printed on a print medium and in which a code is embedded.